Dancing Bears
by Alerix Slynn
Summary: Rodney is attacked off-world, but are the subsequent events caused by the attack, or revealed because of it? Rodney thinks he'd gone mad. Full of poison, monsters, wraith, dream calculators and hallucinations. And Whump. Lots of whump.
1. Chapter 1

**Dancing Bears**

Part One

Miosini Poison

"What do you think it was used for?"

Rodney huffed, purposefully ignoring Radek as the small Czech peered over his shoulder at the orb-like device sitting before them on the table.

It was small, nondescript. A pitiful thing that gave no hint of its use and looked of no importance. Except that Rodney was not so convinced, he'd seen many of the Ancient's devices, their technology was not always what one would call practical, or even safe. And they liked to disguise important pieces of technology as trivial things. Just last week, he'd picked up a thin pen-like device, only to have it shoot out some kind of electrical tranquilizer beam right into the face of Kavanagh. It had been a good day, especially since the tall, arrogant man hadn't been able to keep the drool running down his nerve numbed face long enough to avoid the delighted looks from Rodney.

"I do not think it is anything, Rodney. You should get back to power consumption." Radek said wearily, although he'd enjoyed the Kavanagh escapade just as much as Rodney, he was getting tired of the unexpected surprises.

Rodney rolled his eyes. "Just like you, Radek, with your simple minded-ness, to look over what could be the most important discovery since Atlantis itself."

Radek looked skeptical.

"I doubt that." He mumbled, and wandered back over to his own workstation, where Miko was cautiously prodding a depleted ZPM.

"Hmph."

Hours passed, it was evening now, and Rodney realized he must have skipped lunch. But the possibility of discovering something of importance kept him from going and retrieving something as mundane as food. Of course, any other time and food would have been more important than a fully charged ZPM.

He still hadn't made any progress with the device, it remained inactive and still, hooked up to a mass of wires that trailed back to his laptop. He stared at it. He was smarter than this, he should have had it figured out by now.

A few minutes later Radek asked him to come to the mess, but Rodney declined, waving his hand disparagingly, and without looking up, told him he had more important things to do.

The lab fell silent.

It was kind of nice, the quiet. It gave him breathing room, time to think without interruptions. He smoothed a hand down his face, tired but not to the point of actually going to his quarters to sleep. That was boring, he felt like using his brain, not letting it sleep.

"I'll stay for just a few more hours." He muttered to himself, but without really hearing it. He liked talking to himself, because then no one would disagree with him. He started up his second laptop and rolled the orb device around in his palm, it was heavier than it looked, and fit snugly in his hand.

~OO~

He was dreaming of nice things, chocolate fountains and endless seas of pudding and cupcakes and flying ZPMs. He sighed contentedly, wondering why life was so pleasant.

And then he woke, reality falling like a curtain to smother the ZPMs and chocolate and he was left blinking hazily at the darkened lab with bleary eyes. He lifted his head and wiped his mouth, he'd drooled in his sleep. He looked around to make sure no one had been watching.

Everything was as it had been, except that his laptops had gone to sleep and the sound of a _drip drip dripping _alerted him that he'd tipped over yesterday's coffee and there was a large puddle of cool brown by his feet. He pushed his chair away from the mess, wheels skittering on the smooth floor, and blinked the sleep from his eyes.

It was still quiet, Rodney looked at his watch and saw he'd only slept for an hour, it was four in the morning. That was okay, he still had time to shower and eat before the next mission, and before Sheppard came with his unnaturally cheery morning self to tell him to hurry up.

He yawned.

He heaved himself out of his chair and sidestepped the coffee puddle, knowing someone else would clean it up before he got back from the mission. Likely they'd bring him a new cup as well, possibly. Maybe. Doubtful.

Atlantis was eerie in the morning, sometimes you would find people up and about, jogging or sharing a coffee or sneaking from one room to the next, half dressed and fearful of being spotted. Rodney always found it amusing to catch them at it, it meant they'd steer clear of him for several weeks, sometimes he'd find an extra cup of coffee at his desk of hastily scrawled note sitting on his laptop.

Ah, yes, the people of Atlantis were a finely tuned machine. And one only had to figure out how the pieces fit together to work it in their own direction.

He continued down the hallways at a lazy pace, not being able to muster much else. He took the teleporter to the stop closest to his quarters and stepped out, smirking when he caught the rather guilty looking Lisa Caine from biology slinking out of Lorne's quarters with her hair a mess and a gleam in her eyes. But he moved on, not bothering to detain her with threats and blackmail so early in the morning. Which was probably a first for him, but he didn't care.

The door hissed as he waved a hand over the panel, in the back of his mind he giggled, reminded yet again of Star Trek. It was still in his room, the air dusty and stale, but neat and void of the usual clothes strewn across the floor and bed. Speaking of bed….but no, he had to get ready. There was no time for sleeping.

He sighed wistfully, but no matter how much he wished he could snuggled down in bed and pull the blankets over his head, he had to forgo it in favor of cleanliness and food. Which was easier said than done, he was barely managing to stay awake beneath the scalding hot, and strangely tiring, jet in the shower. The water reddening his skin and wrinkling his fingers.

But the thought of food spurred him on, with a growling stomach he hurriedly dried himself off and stepped out, donning a clean set of clothes that he'd have to wear off-world so he wouldn't have to come back after breakfast. With that in mind, he stuffed a few power bars from his supply, his tablet and scanner into his pockets and under his arm and off he went, hair still wet and boot laces tied messily.

His radio chirped in his ear.

"_Dr McKay, this is Zelenka."_

With barely concealed irritation, Rodney tapped the earpiece.

"Yes, Radek? I'm on my way to the mess, so this had better be important." He snarked.

"_Yes, yes. I was only thinking where the device you were working on last night has gotten to. I was going to put it back in storage."_ Radek replied easily, used to his boss's attitude, especially in the morning.

Rodney stopped in the middle of the hallway, scowling. "And why would you need to know where it is? I haven't finished with it, who said you could put it away? You know, its acts like this that screw up experiments, It's a wonder you haven't ruined that ZPM already."

"_It is depleted ZPM, Rodney."_ Radek said on a sigh that travelled loudly through the radio, "And I was only trying to help."

"Yes, well, your help is not welcome." Rodney thought for a moment. "And besides, I left it on my desk so I could work on it when I got back from the mission, so if I come back and you've already packed it up and sent it off to storage, I-"

"_It is not on desk."_

There was a pause.

"Hmm."

"_Rodney?"_

"Well, I guess I must have put it away myself, away from prying eyes and sneaky hands." He said, and tapped his earpiece before Radek could reply.

His stomach grumbled impatiently. He looked down at it.

"Yes, yes, I know, we'll go get something to eat now." He said to it, as if speaking to a child.

"Talking to you're stomach now, McKay?" Lorne's voice made him jump, and he turned to glare at the taller man.

"What? What's with you military people always sneaking up on the scientists, hmm?" He growled, but Lorne only smiled good-naturedly.

"It's fun to watch the rabbits jump, McKay, you know that." They walked down the hallway together.

"Yes, I suppose, its always good to keep them on their toes, never know when disaster might strike." Rodney agreed aloud, hiking the tablet higher into his arms.

"That's the spirit!"

It sometimes irked Rodney how much alike Lorne and Sheppard's sense of humor was, although when it came to Lorne, Rodney was never quiet sure if the man was actually joking or being serious.

The mess hall was close to being full when they arrived, and Lorne quickly made his way to the food spread out on the table, grabbed a tray, filled it, and went to join Caine, who was waving violently for him to sit by her. Rodney went a little slower, juggling his tray as well as the tablet and scanner, making sure there was no citrus in any of the fruit pancakes or cereal. As he always did. The chef gave him a dirty look when he commented on the status of the pancakes, claiming they were 'dryer than a dogs ass in summer.' And he quickly hurried to find a table. It was harder than he had anticipated, he couldn't sit with many of the groups around the tables, and received multiple glares when it even looked like he was about approach certain people. It didn't bother him, because Rodney believed that, if somebody didn't like you, they didn't deserve to be liked in return.

It was easier to believe that than the truth.

At last he caught sight of a free table, unfortunately it was outside, and it was raining. But it was better than nothing.

He almost lost hold on both tray and tablet when the open door let in the harsh wind, icy against skin and eyes. He grunted in annoyance but went out. The door closed behind him. He sat with his back to the mess hall, not wishing to look upon the people inside, warm and cozy and out of the wind and rain. Well, he wasn't exactly in the rain, but the wind pulled heavy droplets to splat on his tired face and food.

He ate his porridge in glum silence.

~OO~

"Where have you been all morning, McKay?" Sheppard asked at six o'clock, standing before the Stargate, dressed in BDU's and a vest, P-90 held easily in his hands. Ronon and Teyla were talking quietly by his side.

Rodney hurried up to them, disgruntled at the cheerful smile on Sheppard's face and the way Teyla gave him that sympathetic smile when she saw him.

"How are you, Rodney?" She asked quietly, eyes tracking the dark smudges beneath his eyes and his frazzled hair.

"I'm fine." Rodney snapped, not liking the insinuation that he was somehow looking _worse_ than he usually did. "Can we just go?"

"We've been waiting for _you_, McKay, so don't get all snippy with Teyla." Sheppard reprimanded, but without any real heat, Teyla hid a smile behind her hand. Ronon's expression didn't change.

Carter wandered over to them, a pleasant smile adorning her face. And Rodney had to admit that she looked lovely this morning, her blonde hair pulled up into a loose bun so that wisps settled around her face. He was sure he could stare at her all day, but he had more important things to do.

"Good morning, guys." She said, and they chorused a 'morning' back.

"Okay, okay, enough with the pleasantries lets just go. The sooner we go the sooner I can get back to work."

Carter gave him a look. "This _is_ your work, McKay. Being a member of SGA: 1 is one of your job titles."

"Yes, but I'm a physicist as well. And you can't expect me to give one more time than the other." Rodney said haughtily. Man, he was still hungry. And t_ired._

"Alright, you guys have a go. And I want to talk to you after you come back, McKay. Not tomorrow. Not later in the week, today." Carter added sternly, pinning Rodney with a narrowed gaze.

"Yes, yes, whatever, lets just go." And he turned toward the 'gate.

The others nodded to Carter and turned as well, waiting silently while the address was dialed and the 'gate whooshed to life.

"And no starting any fights, this is a simple trade mission, you talk, you agree, and you come back. Nothing else." Carter yelled at them a moment before they stepped through. Sheppard chuckled but Rodney grunted, since when did things work out like that?

~OO~

Things were going surprisingly well, despite Rodney's earlier worries, as soon as they'd stepped through the 'gate they'd been welcomed by the Ashire people with open arms and excitement. Turned out they didn't get a lot of visitors, and welcomed the distraction from their day to day life.

They weren't an advanced race, they lived in wooden and mud brick houses and warmed themselves over sweet smelling fires. But they could easily grasp the concept of higher beings and technology, seeming eager at the possibility of others living throughout the galaxy. Although Rodney was not quiet sure they even understood what the hell a galaxy was.

They agreed to the trade, and all that was left to do was sort out what they would trade, and what would be given in return. Rodney and Ronon decided to leave that to Teyla, with Sheppard to watch over her, and asked some of the Ashire people to show them some ruins they'd seen on the way to the village. To Rodney's disgruntlement, several children volunteered immediately.

They were brick, the ruins, but not mud or wood or stick, and they jutted out from the muddy landscape like pillars of glacial ice. Unnatural and exciting. Rodney asked if they knew what had been here before.

"The old ones." A young boy replied, watching Rodney with fascination, as if he were some strange creature with three eyes and tentacles. Rodney scowled at him.

"What? And who were the old ones?" He asked. Moving closer to examine some markings on the wall. They looked like claw marks, huge, bloody, claw marks. He cringed and forced himself to look away, he didn't like to think what horrible creatures roamed this land. Maybe they had some sort of lion, or tiger, or bear!

Ronon appeared over his shoulder, gazing at the claw marks solemnly.

"What kind of creature made these?" He asked, and the children around them flinched, they hadn't heard Ronon speak yet, and his deep, gravelly voice had them staring at him now, instead of Rodney. Who sighed in relief.

"That was the Miosini. They're big, like, hut big. And they have these big claws that poison you with Kadisin if they hurt you." The young boy mimed a growl and curled his hands by his face into claws, the girl beside him giggled.

Rodney eyed them with suspicion, "You guys seem awfully cheerful about this, I mean, you're talking about a monster that can poison you with its claws."

"Well, they won't hurt you if you wear the Garalin charm." Small heads bobbed in agreement.

"What?"

"The Garalin Charm."

"Yes, yes, I heard you the first time, but what is it and what does it do?" Rodney huffed, wondering why these kids were so slow. A simple upbringing, he guessed.

"It's a charm. And it keeps the Miosini away."

"And it comes from the trees on the river, but sometimes in the cold season we have to cross the big waters to get some. It takes a long time for some people to get back, and they say it's running out."

"But Mama promised the Miosini won't get us when the Garalin does run out, because the ruins protect us."

"No," the boy nudged the girl non-too gently in the side, frowning at her. "Not the ruins, she said the Temple will keep up safe, if we pray."

The girl pouted. "I don't like the temple."

Rodney waved their words away, feeling like the conversation was heading in the wrong direction. "Okay! Enough! Where is this Garalin, and where can I get some?"

Ronon raised an eyebrow.

"What?" Rodney hissed defensively. "I don't want to get attacked by this Mosoni thing."

"Miosini."

"Whatever."

"Don't worry McKay, I'll protect you." Ronon's smile was feral, but Rodney found it somewhat comforting. For some reason.

The kids looked unimpressed, however, and pointed out in speculative tones, "You won't be able to fight off a Miosini, they're real fast and not even arrows slow them down, and Pa is good with his arrows."

"Right, kid." Ronon grunted, but did not look put off in the least.

Things were looking as if they'd be heading in the wrong direction again, and Rodney clapped is hands together, drawing everyone's attention back to himself. But he didn't want to be stuck out in the open with only Ronon's blaster to protect all of them when the monsters came out to play.

"Ah, alright, _people_, lets head back to the village and see how the trade meeting is going." He ordered and the kids bounded off happily back toward the huts in the distance, easily skipping over muddy puddles and holes and the slippery grass. Rodney, however, had a little more trouble, and ended up grabbing a hold of the back of Ronon's shirt to keep himself upright. His exhaustion made it even harder to concentrate on every footstep and dip below.

"This is disgusting! Why did we even bother? I mean, yes, we wanted to see the ruins, but this mud! It's like quick sand."

Ronon remained silent, but there was a quirk to his lips that could have been taken as a smile, if Rodney had bothered to look up and see it. But he was too intent on his own footing to pay any attention to anyone, or anything, else.

"Ugh, my boots are going to be completely ruined now! And they were my good pair, too, where am I going to get another like this? I'm going to have to borrow some from somebody else, and I hate sharing shoes, who knows what germs are growing in them. Ugh." Rodney complained loudly.

Ronon kept up his unspoken agreement, keeping only half an ear on the conversation while he led the chubby scientist over the plains. It was strangely relaxing, listening. Because, despite Rodney's incessant chatter, his whining and arrogance, he was a man to be taken on his word. Ronon never had to worry about hidden meanings or veiled insults with Rodney, what you saw was what you got. And it had taken him a long time to realize that, but once he had, being around the other man had begun to get easier. More peaceful.

"I hope we get back to Atlantis in time, too, because I heard they're serving pudding for dessert, and I'm not missing out on that. And seriously? Why did they have to schedule pudding on a day we go off-world? So unfair." Rodney huffed.

Ronon had to agree, he'd grown to like earth food. Especially pudding.

"But I bet, even if we do get back in time for dessert, Carson will make us wait a few hours in the infirmary, checking us for stupid, impossible diseases and we'll miss out!"

By now they were at the village, the children waiting for them at the boundary, telling them to hurry up.

"It's time to eat!" They cried, some sulking and others eagerly bouncing on the balls of their feet. Rodney huffed in annoyance but followed them when they led Ronon and he through the maze of huts and trees, old women spinning scratchy looking wool into strange looking looms and odd little dog-like creatures yipping annoyingly.

When they entered the main hall, which had been set up with long tables and a fire pit burning sweetly in the center, Sheppard and Teyla rose to beckon them over. They sat beside the leader of the Ashire people, a tall, spindly man with a wide smile and a pleasant face. He also waved Rodney and Ronon over, as if they'd been good friends for years. Rodney didn't like that, he didn't trust people who assumed to be friends within hours of meeting one and other.

"McKay, Ronon." Sheppard nodded toward them, before raising his brow at their appearance. "Have a little wander in the mud while you were gone?"

Rodney scowled. His boots squelched with every step.

"Oh, ha ha, Colonel, that's so very witty of you. And no, we did not wander, we were exploring. There just happened to be a hell of a lot of mud between us and the ruins." Rodney spat, but he sat beside Sheppard with a sigh of relief, glad to finally be out of the chilling wind and even colder mud. It was toasty by the fire.

"Are you okay, Rodney?" Teyla leaned around Sheppard, peering at Rodney with gentle eyes, Rodney suspected she was mocking him.

"Yes! Fine, I'm _fine_, I just have a lot of mud in places mud aught not to be."

Sheppard wrinkled his nose up, "Ew, McKay, too much information."

"Hmph. Well, at least you-" Rodney began, but the Ashire leader spoke over him, addressing the now full hall in a ringing voice.

"My people, we are honored today to host guests from beyond our village, even far beyond the Janshire village, over the vast waters. They come to trade, and we are most happy too, now, we shall eat!" A cheer rose up among the people before the sound of knives and forks scraping against bowls filled the room. The team did not join in the festivities immediately, they knew better than to assume all food was good food, even when offered in friendship.

Sheppard traded glances with Rodney, both wondering silently whether this mission would end in anaphylactic shock. But then Ronon and Teyla were gingerly tucking into the bowl of stew, made from some unnamable meat that looked suspiciously like beef. Sheppard shrugged and did the same.

Rodney sighed, lifted the bowl and sniffed it warily. Tasting it seemed the only way to determine whether it was safe and, looking at the others, he judged that it didn't taste too bad. He could hear Ronon eating noisily beside him and took some comfort from that.

"So," Sheppard said through a mouthful, "What did you find at these ruins?"

Rodney recoiled. "Ugh, please, Colonel. I don't need to see what you're eating while you're eating it. And I didn't find anything in the ruins, but I suspect they're of Ancient origin, judging by the small amount of structure I was able to see and the materials used to build it. I got no powers readings, but…"

"But?" Sheppard asked, chewing a little slower.

"Nothin'." Rodney sighed. "Just some big ass claw marks from a big ass creature that poisons you if it attacks you."

Sheppard paused, looking apprehensively from the Ashire leader to the people eating and chatting casually around them.

"Are we in any immediate danger?" He asked.

Rodney rolled his eyes, if there'd been any immediate danger, wouldn't he have said something sooner?

"No, not as far as I can tell, and Ronon said he'd handle anything that came near me, so… you know." The fire was so warm, he put it bowl down and settled back in his seat, feeling like he could fall asleep right there and then.

He didn't see Sheppard's amused grin at the mention of Ronon protecting him, nor the fire turning suddenly from yellow to pink. It was the dark, anxious mutterings through the hall that drew him out of his doze, and he looked to Sheppard for a hint. But the Colonel was too busy speaking with Teyla and the Ashire leader. He looked at Ronon.

"What's going on?"

The tall man shrugged, looking vaguely disgruntled at being disturbed from his meal. Rodney leaned into his arm a little, and peered at the rest of his team. Sheppard and Teyla were frowning at the Ashire leader, clearly confused about something, but not angry. Rodney sighed, groaning like an old man when he stood and felt his knees complain.

He went to stand in front of Sheppard, so that he could hear all three of them speaking, he could feel Ronon at his back, breathing on his like the mammoth he was. The Ashire leader looked flustered.

"It has always been this way, we are alerted by the Gods of flame when the Miosini are on the hunt, and we knew to stay indoors until the fire returns to its yellow color or sinks into embers."

"But how does it possibly work?" Sheppard asked, and judging by the Ashire leader's expression, it was not the first time he'd asked.

"The Gods of flame will it, and so it is. They protect us."

"Hmph."

They looked up at Rodney. They looked at him with an expression, as if to say 'have you got a reasonable explanation for this?'. Which of course, Rodney didn't. He might have if he weren't so tired, but as it was….

"So, we gotta stay inside? For how long?" Sheppard queried, casting a quick glance to his watch. And Rodney wandered whether Sheppard knew about the pudding. Just the thought of it made him feel a little more awake.

"Until the fire turns back to yellow." The Ashire leader said patiently, and swept his arms out to encompass the hall, where everyone was settling down for the long haul, pulling blankets over shoulders and sleepy children onto laps.

"And how long do you think that will take? We are expected back home very shortly." Teyla said, trying to keep the strain from her voice. She was usually very good at it, but it seemed a whole day of bartering and conversing with the Ashire people had tried her patience.

The Ashire leader just shrugged. And then he stood, motioned for their team to get comfortable, and walked over to his wife. Rodney watched with narrowed eyes as they settled down before the fire. He was beginning to think this man was a rather incompetent leader.

"So," he said, settling back into his seat, squashed between Ronon and Sheppard. "What do we do now? I mean, it's pudding night!"

"Is that all you think about, McKay? Food?"

"No! I just…I just want to go home, okay?" That wasn't strictly correct, he wanted to go home, yes, but more than anything he wanted to sleep. He wanted to sleep in his own bed with no weird colored flames and Miosini creatures out on the hunt.

Sheppard sighed and ran a hand through his hair. And then he nodded reluctantly, they hadn't intended to stay for so long, the sky outside was now dark, signifying they'd stayed the whole day, instead of a few hours. Carter would have their guts for garters when they got home.

"I hope we are able to leave before the morning, I do not wish to stay here for the night." Teyla said quietly and Rodney frowned at her, usually she was the one trying to calm everyone down, and keep the peace. Not that he didn't agree with her.

"Yeah, can't we just, like, creep to the 'gate or something?" Rodney suggested hopefully. Not really considering the idea of skulking through the cold darkness, surrounded by huge, poisonous creatures before he voiced it.

"Yeah, and you had such a good time trekking through that mud on the way here, I'm sure you'll be fine when the monsters come out to play, McKay." Sheppard said sarcastically. And he sighed again. "It's okay guys, we'll just…stay here until the fires goes back to normal."

"And what about Carter, hmm? She said not to get into any trouble, what's she gonna do if we don't come back on the scheduled time?" Rodney asked, trying to muster some anger or annoyance, but only managing a weary sort of tense manner.

"It's alright, she'll call in soon and we can explain the situation. It'll be fine, McKay." He added, seeing the doubtful look on McKay's face. "So just make yourselves comfortable, and try to get some sleep, I'll keep watch and wake you when we've got the all clear."

No one moved for a moment, and then Rodney sighed, and the others, with the blankets the Ashire leader quietly handed to them, pushed the chairs further away and settled onto the soft dirt floor. He grabbed on of the blankets and balled it up into a pillow, and lay down between Sheppard and Ronon. Teyla wrapped hers around her shoulders and curled up closer to the fire.

They were close enough that they could watch each others backs, but not so much that it looked like they had any reason to fear those around them. None of the others were really going to try and get some sleep, but Sheppard had taken one look at Rodney and knew the scientist hadn't got a full eight hour sleep, hell, he even doubted he'd gotten two hours.

But Rodney took him at his word and closed his eyes, feeling his mind quickly begin to drift into that peaceful state between consciousness and sleep. In the back of his mind her heard the others talking quietly, their voices framed by the soft crackle and hiss of the fire. And then all her could hear, and see, was a pleasant, chocolate coated cupcake wandering across the fields in his dreams.

He did not, however, manage to sleep for very long. Perhaps an hour or two passed before his body woke him up. The hall was quiet but for the occasional shift of someone beneath their blanket or a cough. No one spoke, nothing disturbed the air around them, and the fire still burned pink.

Rodney was warm, more so than he would have thought he could be in this cold, primitive planet. He shifted slightly, and felt the softness of something beside him. He sighed a little, almost about to fall asleep again, before his body reminded him why he'd woken.

A hand descended on his shoulder and squeezed slightly, running up and down in comforting manner. At first he thought it was Teyla, and was about to move away a little, before realizing that it had been Sheppard sitting next to him when he'd fallen asleep. He relaxed a bit, feeling more at ease around their team leader than the other two, perhaps it was because Sheppard was his best friend, or maybe because he had trouble trusting people and things had just turned out like that.

Sheppard was still rubbing his arm, and Rodney began to suspect that the Colonel didn't realize he was, in fact, awake. He lay there for a few more minutes, soaking up the physical contact before he had to move. And when he did, he felt a little groan slip from his tired lips, and sat up. He was still so tired, and now his back was aching. No thanks to this god-awful dirt floor and scratchy non-supportive blanket for a pillow deal.

"McKay, you awake?" Sheppard asked quietly, he was sitting cross-legged, back slouched and chin resting on a clenched fist. Mortified, Rodney realized that he'd been curled around the Colonel like a dog seeking warmth in the winter. He coughed uncomfortably.

"Yeah, why else would I be sitting up?" He asked, trying to sound irritated.

He saw Sheppard's mouth twitch. "You sat up a few times before, you said something about 'drowning' and 'chocolate'."

"Hmph. Well, I was having such a nice dream."

"You actually dream about chocolate? Jeez McKay, you really are food oriented." Sheppard chuckled quietly.

"Yeah, what the hell do you dream about?" Rodney asked in exasperation, struggling to pull on one of his mud clogged boots that must of fallen off when he was asleep. He didn't bother even trying to re-tie the laces.

"Ugh, you know, the usual stuff." Sheppard hedged, before asking, "Why are you awake, I was sure you'd sleep till morning if I let you."

"Need to pee."

"But you can't go outside." Sheppard said with some amusement.

"Well, I'm not peeing in here." Rodney huffed, struggling to stand.

"Why not?" Sheppard said, but stood, and helped Rodney to do so also.

"Ha ha. No, I'm just gonna pop outside and relieve myself, and then be back in as soon as I can, 'kay? No problems. See you soon." And he began making his way around the silent, sleeping forms of the Ashire people, standing on the edges of blankets and unsuspecting fingers. Although no one complained.

"Wait! Hang on, I'll come with you. I don't want you eaten by this beast while I'm not looking." Sheppard followed close behind him, much lighter on his feet than Rodney.

Rodney huffed a laugh. "Thank you for that, but these Miosini don't eat people, they stab them with poisonous claws." He paused. "At least, I don't think they eat people."

"Hmm, well, I have a gun. I'm sure I can protect you from anything smaller than an elephant at this stage."

"Maybe….maybe that's not so comforting. I hear they're big. Big-big." Rodney whispered as he peered around the open door to the hall. An icy wind chewed at his skin and ruffled his sleep mussed hair. "If we had Ronon's blaster we'd be cool, but as it is…."

"I somehow don't think the big guy would be okay with us borrowing his precious blaster for a potty run." Sheppard intoned, also peering through the door, wondering what was taking Rodney so long.

"McKay?" he asked, finally, growing impatient. Although, to be honest, it was good to finally stretch his legs and back after sitting still for so long.

"I, er, I think its clear." Rodney whispered breathlessly, and stepped out onto the mud as if he thought any quick movement was going to draw the creatures attention.

"Yeah, well, we're going to be quick, anyway. So hurry up." Sheppard said and began ushering the chubby scientist outside and toward the edge of the building. He made sure to close the door behind him.

It really was cold outside, if he'd been on earth he was sure it would be snowing. He pulled his jacket tighter around himself and continued prodding Rodney forward. They stopped at a tree sitting at the corner of the building. And Rodney went to do his business. Sheppard dutifully turned away, fingers sitting comfortably on his P-90. He surveyed the area. There was no movement as far as he could see, except for the wind trying to tear the trees apart and the thatch and mud roofs from their walls.

"Done yet?" He hissed to Rodney, suddenly feeling the inexplicable urge to get back inside.

When there was no answer he turned, Rodney was still standing there, except he was facing the wrong direction, his body still and tense. Sheppard slowly raised his P-90 and flicked on the flashlight.

The beam hit a pair of very large, very white eyes. And then everything went to hell.

~OO~

Gah! I'm sorry! I couldn't help it! I know I should really be finishing my other stories but this got stuck in my head.

If you're in the know, you'll remember the brief fics that I deleted, and promised to rewrite.

Well, guess what? Here they are! Together! In one big, whumpy story!

And I promise, there will be a **lot** of whump. A hell of a lot.

So I hope you enjoy, and tell me what you think!

- Alerix


	2. Chapter 2

**Dancing Bears**

Part Two

Cloudy Skies

At first Rodney thought he was dreaming.

He was staring into eyes so white they glowed in the stormy gloom. A cold wind was washing over him, numbing in its intensity. Fear filtered through the emotions clogging his mind, it tumbled over regret and fell through a web of panic. Rodney felt his gut clench in terror.

"Rodney." The whisper quiet word stirred the great beast, it blinked its milky eyes at him slowly, as if pondering, deciding. Sheppard spoke his name again, but he barely heard.

He was frozen, rooted to the spot. And then the beast lunged, reaching out with blade-like claws that glinted a rusty red in the dim light.

Someone screamed. Perhaps it was him, perhaps it was Sheppard.

He was on the ground, those claws were pinning his legs, kept him from moving an inch. He felt like a bug, in the seconds he was given to ponder such things. He felt like a bug pinned to a board with a label beneath reading; '_Meredith Rodney McKay.'_

Hands scrambled at his shoulders, at his neck and arms, even as the sound of P-90 fire threatened to deafen him. He strained to look up but found his body oddly heavy and unwilling to obey. He felt his mouth work as he tried to speak.

Another scream, followed closely by the sound of Ronon's blaster, split the air.

The beast jerked, his claws tore at Rodney's legs.

Darkness coiled seductively at the edges of his awareness, trying to lure him into the false safety of unconsciousness.

He was being dragged, dragged over the muddy landscape like a sack of potatoes. He could no longer see the sloping tilt of buildings or trees. Only the turbulent sky and the soft edges of clouds that glowed where they hid the moon. He blinked up at them in vague annoyance.

Pain frothed and foamed through his blood, ice cold and acidic all at once. But he could not move, it was like trying to push against some great, immovable weight. He was numb, but not, because he could feel precisely where the beast's claws were wrapped around, and buried in, his legs.

"Miosini." He muttered vaguely, the word bubbles at his lips and tasted like copper.

And for the first time he realized what was actually happening, the Miosini, the monster the Ashire children had warned him about, had attacked him. And he was being….dragged into the deserted, muddy landscape like a skewered rabbit. It was going to eat him. It was going to rip his limbs off one by one. It was going to pull his innards out like sausages and eat him from the inside out.

And poison…

Pain lanced up his spine, littering small darts of agony in its wake. Rodney gasped. He felt the slick slide of mud against his back, catching on the gun at his hip.

But even the thought of using the gun could not rouse enough strength and, even with possibility of freeing himself from the Miosini, he could not move.

There was a rushing sound in his ears, like standing under a waterfall. Was he going to drown?

Something that sounded vaguely like wasps skimming through the cold air brought his attention back to his surroundings. Movement had stopped, the claws retracted so quickly from his legs and the pain was immediate and sharp but no sound emerged from his parted lips. The taste of copper rolled down the back of his throat.

More P-90 fire. He wanted to cover his ears, he wanted to see the source. It sounded distant, but with increasing clarity until he thought those wasps might be right above him, bearing down as the Miosini was. He could see its massive head, snarling and roaring and the sodden ground shook with the force of it. The hair, course and rough against his skin, reeked of old blood and wet dog. He tried not to breathe in the stench but it rolled over his face with each breath the beast let out.

The Miosini shuddered as each bullet hit it, and Rodney swore it took almost two dozen before the beast actually began to wail in pain and anger and its legs started to quiver. If Rodney had been able, he would have rolled out of the way, or at least tried to scramble back. As it was, he could only lie there, silent, and watched through heavy lidded eyes as the Miosini gave one, last shriek that pierced his mind like a needle, before it collapsed.

All the air whooshed from his lungs and he wheezed. Now he could only see the darkness that was the creatures matted fur.

Hands, voices, he listened to the slide and cursing of people running through the sludge-like mud and waited patiently for them to reach where he lay, pinned. A shifting of the weight on his chest sent spurs of pain racing around his body, but he was coherent enough to be relieved when the weight was gone and he could breathe. At least, he could breathe a little easier.

Mud clad pants and boots slid into his line of vision, knees jolting his shoulder and arm as whoever it was leaned in close, icy fingers digging into his face and neck. Sheppard's worried expression made him want to laugh, he looked so anxious, but there were large gobs of mud covering him from head to foot, and he looked ridiculous.

Rodney's mouth worked as he tried, and failed, to voice his thoughts. Sheppard didn't seem to notice.

"Crap, McKay! I'm sorry! I should have been- Teyla, can you hand me…thanks." Something starkly white in the darkness was waved in front of his face and then pressed against his stomach, a mere gasp left his lips, when all he wanted to do was scream as the pressure was applied. He hadn't noticed his stomach had been hit, only his legs.

Because boy, did they hurt.

I'm fine, he wanted to say, I'm just cold. But the words would not form and he was left to lie there in growing panic as his three teammates moved around him, pressing and wrapping bandages to his unmoving limbs. He would have been embarrassed, had he the capability to feel anything other than panic and growing horror.

"Okay, it's Okay, McKay. We got you. Can you hear me? Say something!" Sheppard was whispering, almost too quietly to hear, and his voice was hoarse and dry. It sounded as if he should have been shouting, yelling, trying to speak loud enough for the entire, muddy planet to hear. But all that came out was a whisper.

Rodney stared up at him, willing Sheppard to understand what he was thinking, what he was trying to get across. But in the darkness, he realized, no one could see clearly enough. The pain flared throughout his body and Rodney felt his lids flutter. The only movement he could manage. He should have been writhing in agony.

"McKay?" Sheppard leaned in close, pressing even more heavily against the wounds on his stomach. "Please say something. McKay. I'm…shit, I'm sorry, buddy. I should've shot the damn thing straight away. No! No, no, don't close your eyes! Come on, wake up…"

But Sheppard's face had already grown fuzzy, the darkness creeping up to pervade the corners of his consciousness. He didn't realize his eyes were fully closed until the darkness was all he could see. Sheppard's voice faded out, sounding so distant and garbled that he was relieved when it finally grew too faint to hear. Movement jostled his body, the pain wracked him inside and out. And he couldn't move and he couldn't see and he was beginning to wonder whether he would ever open his eyes again.

~OO~

Sheppard could feel the mud clinging to his boots, trying to suck him under as he, along with Teyla and Ronon, raced after the massive creature dragging McKay across the plain. The other two members of his team had been alerted by the gunfire and had immediately left the safety of the hall to see what the problem was. The Ashire leader had not been happy about them leaving, but goddamit, they couldn't just let McKay get eaten by some monster.

Sheppard raised his P-90 and fired, but the hits did not seem to slow the creature down. It roared in anger and sped up its pace.

Sheppard swore violently.

"Ronon!" He yelled, legs aching as he fought the mud.

There were several blasts that cleared the darkness and struck the haunches of the creature. Sheppard heart a yelp as Teyla slid and fell in the mud, but neither he nor Ronon paused to help her, too intent on keeping their own footing and firing to stop.

He fired several more shots at the beast, as did Ronon, and it stopped running. It whipped around, turning those luminescent, milky white eyes on them and it shrieked. It shrieked and the ground beneath them seemed to shudder.

Sheppard paused, aimed his P-90 again, and fired a half dozen more shots before the creature actually fell.

"Crap." He muttered, because he hadn't realized that it would fall on Rodney. Rodney who was so still in the darkness, barely seen between the great creatures front legs. The creature feel, obscuring him completely, and Sheppard darted over, not even checking to see if the creature was dead or not.

He pushed with all his might until the thing moved, heaving it off and over his friend and teammate, all the while muttering beneath his breath that every was going to be okay and that Rodney was fine and they'd all wake up and this crap wouldn't have happened.

Sheppard stumbled back, then fell forward onto his knees beside Rodney, jostling his teammate as he leaned over him anxiously. He could barely see, but what he could catch a glimpse off in the dark was mud, mud and a pair of pale blue eyes peering at him.

His fingers patted gently at Rodney's face before probing his neck, searching for a steady pulse where he found an erratic, irregular one. He felt his face crease in worry before he could stop it. Teyla was kneeling on the other side of Rodney as Ronon pushed the creature further out of the way and checked to see if it was really dead. Teyla's hands were searching Rodney for injuries, and when she touched his stomach, her hand came away dark.

Sheppard found his voice, then.

"Crap, McKay! I'm sorry! I should have been- Teyla, can you hand me…thanks." She already had the bandages in hand and passed them over.

A gasp flew from Rodney's lips as he pressed the bandages down, the first sound their friend had made. Sheppard leaned over him, trying to get a clear view of his face. Rodney's eyes were wide, mouth trembling as little, harsh puffs of air hissed between his teeth.

Sheppard wanted him to say something. He wanted those quick words and snappish retorts and he wanted that pained and panicked look gone from Rodney's eyes.

"Okay, it's Okay, McKay. We got you. Can you hear me? Say something!" He wanted to shout, but his voice was hoarse and he had to lean in to make sure Rodney heard it.

He watched Rodney's eyes flutter.

"McKay?" Sheppard could feel himself panicking. Waist deep in mud and his hands already stained dark with his friends blood. He knew he should pull it together, be the strong leader he was supposed to be. But he couldn't. Rodney was his best friend.

Rodney eyes drifted closed a strangled little sigh left his battered and muddy lips.

"Please say something. McKay. I'm…shit, I'm sorry, buddy. I should've shot the damn thing straight away. No! No, no, don't close your eyes! Come on, wake up, Buddy!" But he clearly wasn't going to, and it struck Sheppard suddenly, that they weren't out of danger yet. There could have been more of those creatures around, waiting, ready to pounce. And they wouldn't be any good to McKay dead.

Sheppard looked up at Ronon and Teyla, and it was almost as if they had the same thought at once. They jumped into motion. Teyla, her hands working quickly, secured bandages around Rodney's legs and around his stomach. Sheppard allowed himself a brief moment of consternation that he hadn't even asked where else Rodney had been injured. But he was already spinning, scanning the darkness with the light on his P-90 as Ronon swooped in to scoop the unconscious member of their team up.

They moved as a unit. Teyla in the lead, because she was quick on her feet and could run ahead to alert the Ashire people if need be. Ronon in the middle, Rodney held carefully over his shoulder, looking for all the world like a muddied corpse awaiting burial. And Sheppard took up with rear, walked almost backwards as he continued his sweep across the plain. He could almost feel the creatures out there, watching, but hesitant to move with the scent of their own kinds blood on the stormy wind.

And it was only then that Sheppard realized how cold it was. With the layer of mud now smothering him, dampening his clothes, all body heat was leeched from his skin and bone and he was left trembling in the wake of the adrenaline rush. He wondered how Teyla, so much slimmer than he, could walk so easily and without hindrance before them all. And then, he reasoned, he probably wasn't in the right frame of mind to be thinking at all.

"Teyla!" He called, pitching his voice to carry over the wind, "Run up and warn the Ashire that we'll need assistance!"Teyla nodded, and was off in an instant.

The darkness felt thicker and bitter with only he and Ronon and the silent form that was Rodney to keep each other company. By unspoken agreement, both of them hurried their pace.

By the time they were at the meeting hall, Teyla held the door open, allowing the pink light to filter out and illuminate the stormy night. The Ashire leader peered anxiously over Teyla's shoulder, but he said nothing as they pushed into the hall, said nothing as he caught sight of the slumped form of McKay over Ronon's shoulder. It made Sheppard a little angry, that this man and his people had not warned them of the danger, but he forced himself to push it aside as he pulled the heavy door shut behind him.

It was deathly silent in the hall, all eyes were on them, staring in that knowing, weary sort of way.

Sheppard stepped closer to the Ashire leader, trying to lessen the harsh lines of his face into something neutral and smooth. He suspected he failed.

"You have healers? I need healers!" And the other man stared at him wordlessly, again, Sheppard had that bubble of rage in the pit of his stomach and in his veins. Pulsing and burning. He turned away quickly, trying to tune in on what was going around him instead of his internal chaos.

"Teyla?" She was standing over Ronon as the tall man gently laid McKay's limp form onto a thin blanket instead of the dirt. Sheppard went over to them. "I don't know if anyone is going to help us, we need to contact Atlantis and get them to send Beckett."

But even as he said it, Sheppard knew they couldn't. The threat of the creatures lurking out there was still very real. And it was impossible to say that they could even make it to the Stargate before they were attacked….or eaten.

"Colonel…" Teyla was giving him a reproachful look.

"Yeah," he said, breathing out heavily and running a hand through his hair before he remembered it was still damp with McKay's blood. "I know, I know, we'll have to wait 'till those things are gone before we do anything."

His teammates nodded, they understood his reasons, they were all worried.

"I shall go and request assistance." Sheppard heard Teyla mutter, but was barely aware of her departure, he knelt down beside his friend.

McKay was pale beneath the mud, body slack and eyes rolling feverishly beneath closed lids. Sweat oozed down his face, leaving lines of white in the brown, but his body shivered and shuddered and even his lips quivered. Sheppard laid a trembling hand on his friend's brow, and frowned at the heat emanating from his skin. He shot a quick look at Ronon, the expression on the taller mans face told him he wasn't imagining it, Ronon had noticed it too.

"The little ones said something about the beast having poisonous claws." The taller man said.

"What? Oh, didn't Rodney say something like that as well?" Sheppard muttered distractedly. Ronon shrugged, he hadn't been listening.

~OO~

Rodney wondered, not for the first time, whether he was dreaming.

Everything was sky. Surrounded by clouds and the smell of rain. He sat on one of those clouds, it was strangely tangible, and swung his feet idly in the open air.

"You know, the repercussions would be of monumental proportion." He said conversationally, because there was a bear sitting next to him.

It was not a big bear, perhaps a little taller than he was, as it, too, dangled its hairy feet over the edge of the bear huffed in response to Rodney's earlier statement.

"Yes, I don't doubt it would be fun. I'm not doubting that one bit. All I am saying, is that the journey is only the means to the destination. And the destination ain't looking too great."

They both peered over the edge of the cloud at the ground so far below.

"No," Rodney mused again, "Not so great."

The bear nodded its large head, and they sat in companionable , it must have been a dream. Because Rodney could think of no earthly means of sitting on a cloud with a reasonable bear by his side. Perhaps he was dead. And this was heaven. But, alas, if this was heaven, where was Sam Carter? If this was heaven, then surely it would be Sam sitting by his side and not this looked up at the hairy , to be fair, he did not mind his companion. It smelled like honey.

Rodney missed honey. He missed a lot of things from earth. And it made his heart just a little heavier to think about it.

The bear swiped Rodney over the back of the head with a heavy paw.

"Hey! What was that for?" Rodney growled, rubbing his now aching head.

The bear fixed him with a pointed stare.

"I know, I know. It doesn't bode well to dwell on the things we can't change." Rodney grumbled.

The clouds had shifted around them on a puff of wind.

"I best you muss honey, though, too, ey?"The bear relented with a nod, and its shoulders slumped forward a little.

They were so high off the ground. "How did we get up here, anyway?" Rodney pondered aloud. He didn't care if it was a dream, he liked logic.

The bear huffed. "No, I supposed it doesn't matter."

He sighed.

And then he air was thin this high up. And his head was still aching, but then, so was his chest, and his stomach, and his legs.

He wondered why, so suddenly, he felt as though his blood was made of fire. It was trying to burn him from the inside out.

He gasped.

The bear reached out one hairy paw to pull Rodney closer. He fell again the bear's side with another little breathless gasp. His face sank into the bear's soft fur. The cloying smell of honey wafted around him.

But the bear was soft and warm and kept him upright when he began to list to one side and his eyes fluttered closed and he went limp.

The bear patted his arm reassuringly. And then even that faded out.

~OO~

When Rodney opened his eyes next, it was not to the cloudy sky and the bear.

Although the scent of honey remained, but it mingled thickly with the smell of fire smoke and of a coppery sweetness that made him want to gag.

He was shivering, cold, but the arms wrapped around him were warm and solid.

Rodney blinked at length, the fine web of darkness ebbed until a beautiful face, creased with worry and anger, came into focus. Teyla's hair was unbound and she was covered in mud. Rodney hoped it wasn't something he had done that had her looking so angry.

Over her shoulder, a hulking shadow slowly morphed into Ronon. He was arguing, by the looks of it, his mouth was moving and his hands were clenched into fists by his realized that Teyla's mouth, too, was moving. And he tried to tune into the usually soft timbre of her voice dipping up and down.

"…I am not even sure what this medicine will do, John! How can I use it when I do not trust it? "So it was Sheppard holding him upright. Out of the corner if his eye, Rodney could see two very dirty arms with black wristbands caked in mud.

"Do what you can, Teyla."Sheppard's voice sounded so close by, and Rodney flinched.

The movement eliciting a pained groan from his bloodied lips. Blurred movement.

"Rodney? Christ, Rodney, you had me worried!" Sheppard growled and the sound rumbled through his chest and against Rodney's back.

"S'rry?" He slurred. He felt confused, unsure. He couldn't remember why he was there, lying between Sheppard's legs with Teyla dabbing something sticky against the pain in his chest and stomach.

All he remembered was the bear, and the clouds.

"S'cold." He mumbled, turning to press his face into Sheppard's shoulder. The movement pulled at his chest. The pain was immediate and sharp, like someone was running a white hot blade over and over his skin.

He shouted out, fingers clenching in the dirt beneath him and his legs drawing up in an effort to curl up into a ball. Teyla pushed his legs back down and held them fast.

"McKay! McKay-Rodney! Jesus, calm down!" Sheppard was shouting in his ear.

But to Rodney it sounded so far away, distant beneath the rush of blood in his hear and the pain screaming through could feel each breath dragging a pained sound out of him. Blood flowed and oozed and dripped. He was crying, sobbing through clenched teeth. He wished Sheppard would make it stop. He wanted it to stop.

He whispered, "Sheppard." But it was too quiet to hear.

Down and down he fell, Sheppard's arms a phantom pressure around his middle and chest, his warm breath lost in the rushing of the strangely warm air.

~OO~

Something warm and sticky and hairy ruffled the side of Rodney's face, and he opened his eyes to stare up, blearily, at the bear.

He found the shaggy beast standing over him, the sticky substance on his dark nose was honey, the smell of it made Rodney's stomach bear huffed a little sound, and leaned back on his haunches.

"Yes, you're quiet right. There's no use starving." Rodney muttered as he dragged himself to his feet, painfully aware of those phantom arms still around him.

He looked up at the sky, the clouds stretched thin from the wind and the sun beating down bear ambled away from Rodney and up the gentle slope to where a tree stood. It was so green, everything. The grass. The trees. Even the air tasted too clean and too real.

"Is this real?" Rodney asked of the bear. He had not followed the bear up the hill, and stood on the grass at the bottom of the rise, feeling the cool blades between his toes.

The bear spared him a glance, and a little, gentle snort, before it turned away and peered up at the tree. Or, more accurately, the beehive hanging from a branch in the tree. Rodney watched the bear reach up and try and grab it, try to swipe it down with its immense paws, and even jump a little. But it just wasn't tall enough.

Rodney loped up the incline. He paused when he reached the top, gasping a little and holding a hand hard to his chest. Pain flittered through skin and muscle and bone, a quick tangle of sensations that made him feel sick. But the feeling passed and he hurried to the bears side.

"You'll never reach it like that, trust me." He bear gave a gravelly sigh and sat back, looking dejected.

"I told you that you'd miss it when it was gone." Rodney prodded, feeling a little sad himself.

He gazed up at the beehive in contemplation.

"Maybe if you shook the tree?" he said. But doubtfully.

The bear looked at Rodney.

"Yes, yes, I suppose you'd have already tried that. But what about-" But Rodney was cut off when he gasped suddenly, and clutched at his chest. It felt like someone was ramming a blade into his chest, between his ribs and straight into his heart. He cried out, legs buckling and something warm and fluid rippled down his fingers.

He could taste that coppery flavor at the back of his throat.

Rodney collapsed to the green grass, except that it wasn't so green anymore. Everything had faded, the colors were dulled and he could no longer fell the warmth of the sky.

But the scent of honey remained. It always remained.

Cloying and sickly in his mouth and nose and throat.

Rodney opened his mouth wide and bear, not unkind, settled its great bulk beside him and sheltered him from the suddenly bitter rain that fell from turbulent clouds.

The bear huddled over him as Rodney screamed.

~OO~

Sheppard clutched Rodney to his chest as Teyla worked on their wounded teammate's leg. He didn't want to see the damage, but he couldn't keep himself from looking. Teyla had blood on her hands, and he wondered if she noticed. She was so focused, her hands steady and practiced as she applied another bandage coated in the strange honey-like substance that had been given to them.

And Rodney was shivering, his whole body twitching and jerking as if he were in the bitterest of snow storms, and yet his skin was hot to touch. Too warm, sweat mingled with the blood and mud.

Sheppard shifted a little, trying to keep the circulation in his arm and legs. Rodney stilled, and Sheppard bit his lip, hoping he hadn't pained his friend any further.

Rodney's head wobbled from side to side, before his cheek came to rest on Sheppard's shoulder. A little, moaned sigh left his friend, and then he seemed to lose consciousness once more.

"How's he doing?" Ronon asked, and Sheppard watched the taller man fiddle with his blaster. He knew it must have been killing Ronon to just stand there and watch, just as it was Sheppard, but they both knew there was really nothing they could do. Not yet, anyway.

Ronon was standing guard, although Sheppard didn't really thing the Ashire people were any threat. He suspected Ronon was keeping an eye on the fire, waiting for the pink to return to yellow.

Time passed.

To Sheppard it felt like days. Sitting propped against the chilling wall of the hall with the too hot form of Rodney in front. A part of him wondered whether Rodney was even going to survive. Another part told him to shut the fuck up.

"Sheppard!" A firm hand shook his shoulder, and Sheppard realized he must have dozed off a little. Feeling guilty, he glanced up at Ronon, but found himself oddly transfixed by the large fire burning in the center of the hall. Burning yellow…

Teyla was already moving. Flurried movements to grab their gear and the stretcher the Ashire people had somehow managed to pull from somewhere. Sheppard nodded to Ronon and, carefully as he could, stood with Rodney still clutched to his chest. Ronon grabbed Rodney's feet and they both moved to lower him onto the stretcher.

"I hope you're friend survives." The Ashire leading spoke, appearing suddenly beside them. "Grave wounds. But I also hope this won't affect our trading plan, we can be great friends, our worlds!"

But they were already pushing away, and the Ashire Leader's words were lost in the grunts and shuffles as they moved through the hallway and out into the windy, frosty air. It was not yet sunrise, and without that warmth they were left shivering in the bitter cold.

Still in the village, they slipped and slid across the mud. Sheppard gritted his teeth and kept moving. Ronon was setting a brutal pace, but for once Sheppard was grateful. He only wished they could move long it took them, Sheppard didn't know. He could feel his pants dampening from the mud, his toes gone numb long ago. But they did not stop.

~OO~

Rodney felt like he was lying in a boat. With the waves lapping gently at the sides.

He was weightless. He was floating. He was…he was…Rodney was screaming as the pain encompassed him, fiery shots of agony racing through each of his limbs and burning through his veins. He tried to claw as his skin but icy hands held him down. He fought, but he was weak, and the hands were so strong.

And yet he still floated, drifted, along. But faster. Bumpier. He wondered whether he was going to fall and drown. The thought panicked him, and he felt his lips move to form gibbering words, incoherent babble.

A hand touched his face. Pressing down on his forehead. Rodney tried to still and keep the hand there, but he couldn't. His throat burned and he couldn't breathe. He wanted it to go away. He wanted to be calm and quiet and painless.

There was a sound, and it was so achingly familiar, yet he couldn't place it, and felt so horrible for not being able to. Voices, garbled. A hand on his face again. The smell of dirt and honey and blood.

Rodney turned his head to the side, and opened his eyes.

The bear stood and watched as Rodney's feet disappeared into the swirling blue water. And then it waved, its great hairy paw catching the wind.

Rodney let out a little sob.

~OO~


End file.
